Railway car



B. W. KADEL Dec. 3, 1929.

RAILWAY CAR Filed March 20, 1924 have nfoz Patented Dec. 3, 1929 PATENT OFFICE BYERS W. KADEL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND RAILWAY CAR Application filed March 20, 1924. Serial No. 700,475.

This invention relates to railway cars and has among its objects to provide improvements in the door construction thereof, also to provide improved means for supporting car doors. Another object is to provide a simple and effective arrangement whereby such doors may be forced from a partly to a fully closed position. lVith such objects in view the invention consists of the formation, combination and arrangement of parts as will be herein described and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which show a preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a car body to which is applied door construction embodying the principles of the present invention. The car chosen for illustration of the invention is of the well known twin hopper type and Figure 1 accordingly shows a portion of oneof the hoppers of such a car. Figure 2 is an outer face view of a portion o the door together with related parts of the hopper, this view being taken in the direction of arrow A, Figure 1. Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through a portion of the hopper and door, this View being taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view through the door locking mechansm, the view being taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a detached side elevational view of the pivoted locking member which is also shown in Fig ure 2 mounted upon the door. Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through the locking member, this view being taken on the line 6--6 of' Figure 5. Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the outer end of the fixed hook or ledge meinbei which is also shown in Figure 1 riveted to the end hopper sheet.

Referring to these drawings, the side of the car or in the present embodiment the end hopper sheet, is denoted by the numeral 1. The numeral 2 denotes the customary slope sheet. A framing angle iron 3 is supplied for uniting the sheets 1 and 2. The tapered stitfening bar 4 may be applied around the interior edges of the sheets 1 and 2 to stiffen the edges of these sheets and more firmly tie them together and also to form a seat against which the door 5 may seat when closed. The door 5 is preferably formed' of a steel plate.

It may be hinged to any convenient part of the car body by means of hinges as indicated at 6. Any suitable number of these hinges may be employed.

Secured upon the outer face of the door plate by means of rivets 7 is a stiffening member 8 of angular construction. In the present embodiment this is formed of a standard Z G0 bar having one flange 9 lying directly against the outer face ofthe door with the rivets 7 passing therethrough. The web 10 of the Z is disposed upright to the door and the other flange 11 of the Z lies parallel with the door 65 plate and slightly removed outwardly therefrom. This constitutes an economical form of construction although other forms of stiffener may be employed. In twin hopper car construction there are usually two door plates employed to make up a single door extending transversely of the car, the interval between the plates being occupied by the center sill construction of the car. In such cases the stifening member 8 may serve as a door 75 spreader to unite the two portions of the door in the well known manner. The door shown in the drawings is disposed transversely of the car and is adapted to swing open by gravity when released. For closing the door it may be pushed shut with the foot or by hand to at least a preliminary position. The present invention includes means-for supporting the door in a preliminary position of closure and also means for forcing the door to ay fully closed position and for supporting the door in the fully closed position.

Secured to the side of the car or in the present embodiment to the end hopper sheet 1 by means of rivets 12 is a fixed hook or 90 ledge member 13. This member extends outwardly beyond the face of the closed door and is provided with a ledge 14 adapted to be engaged by a movable member secured to the door for holding the door in closed position. The stitfening member 8 extends outwardly beyond the plane of the side of the car and beyond and over the ledge member 13. The stiffener 8 is also disposed with respect to the ledge member 13 that when the ioo the cam may door is swung open or closed the projecting end of the stiflener 8 will swing clear of and above the upper edge of the ledge 14. There is then mounted upon the door, or as in the present embodiment upon the stiffener 8, a movable member adapted to be interposed between the stifl'ener 8 andthe ledge 14 to support the door in closed position. This movable member in the present embodiment comprises a rotatable eccentric cam 15 which is pivotally mounted upon the stiflener 8 in overlapping engagement with the outer face of the flange 11 thereof. Overlying the cam is a bracket havin a wall or web 16 spaced outwardly from t e flange 11 of the stifl`- ener to permitl of free ivotal movement of the cam. This bracket is preferabl riveted to the outer flange 11 of the stiflener y means of rivets 17. A pivot pin or rivet 18 passes through aligned openings in the flange 11, the cam 15, and the over-lying wall 16 of the bracket thereby pivoting the cam 15 upon the stiflener in a secure manner. By mounting the cam in the manner disclosed it will be readily perceived that the flange 11 of the stiflener affords a support or abutment therefor.

The cam 15 is specially formed so as to perform its intended functions in a satisfactory manner. Referring to the showing of this member in Figure 2, when the cam is rotated in counter clock-wise.: direction, the door may be released fromjsupporting engagement with the Aledge 1 4 either by the eccentric action of the cam 15 or by rotating the cam until the portion 19 thereon falls entirely clear of the side of the ledge 14. The door will thus be permitted to swing open. lVhen the door is pushed shut the cam is rotated in clock-wise direction until it engages slightly with the ledge 14. The door will then be held in partly closed position. Further rotation of the cam in clock-wise direction will force the door further shut. T his is accomplished by tapering the engaging face of the cam. Referring to Figure 5 the portion of the cam extending from line B to line C is formed upon an increaslng taper whereby thedoor will be forced shut from clock-wise rotation of the cam behind the ledge 14. The portion from C to D is preferably formed on a slightly reversed taper so that still further rotation of the cam in the same direction will seat the cam well behind the ledge 14, and in rotating the cam toward release position a slight preliminary closing movement of the door is necessitated before the true opening movement of the door beins.

g After pushing the door shut and engaging the rotatable cam slightly beyond the ledge 14, further closing movement of the door may be effected either by driving the cam into further enga ement with the ledge 14, or

ge unloaded by prying the door shut and the cam may then be rotated to a further position by hand. In order that the door may be readily pried to a further closed position means is provided for the reception of a door closing lever or pry 20. The seat for the lower end of this lever is formed by bending the innermost edge of the member 13 in such manner that it stands outright from the side of the car as at 21 thereby forming a positive shoulder againstwhich the lowermost end of the lever 20 ma seat. A lever fulcrum is provided on the (lbor by securing to the extended end of the flange 9 of the stiffener 8 a pierced bracket 22, this being shown as secured to the said flange by means of the rivets 23. This bracket is arranged to swing close against the side of the car when the door is shut and thereb forms a means for preventing slippage o the door cross-wise of the car whereby the operation of the cam might be interfered with. A lever-receiving aperture 24 is provided near the inner end of this bracket, this aperture being arranged to receive and accommodate the lever 20 as above mentioned. The mechanism thus described comprises an economical arrangement whereby the door may be forced to a fully closed position. The bar 20 may be used to force warped or buckled doors to a position where the cam can be engaged behind the ledge 14. yAs shown clearly in Figures 6 and 7 the engaging surfaces of the cam and the ledge 14 are preferably undercut in such manner as to assist in retaining these members in engagement without the employment of additional locking means.

I have thus described an embodiment of my invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims without departure from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway car having a door, a fixed ledge member mounted on the car body adjacent an edge of the door, a flanged member rigidly secured to the door, and a rotatable cam mounted in overlapping relation to the outer face of the said flanged member, said cani being adapted to engage said ledge member to hold the door in closed position.

2. A railway car having a door, a fixed hook member carried by the car body, a flanged member rigidly secured to the door and projecting beyond the side edge thereof, and a rotatable member carried by the projecting 'portion of said flanged member in position to engage behind the ledge of said hook, the axis of rotation of said rotatable member being substantially normal to the door and the engaging face of the said member being arranged upon an inclined plane in such manner that additional rotation of the same after the first engagement thereof with the ledge will effect a forcible closing of the door.

-' ed to close said opening, a stiflening 3. A railway car having a door, a ledge member carried by the car body adjacent an edge ofthe door, an arm secured to the door and extending outwardl beyond the side edge thereof above said ledge member, and pivoted means adapted to be interposed between said a-rm and said ledge to secure the door in closed position, said means being pivotally mounted upon and overlappingly engaging an outer face of Said arm and having its pivotal axis arranged substantially normal thereto. y

4. A railway car having a door, a stiffening member carried by the door and extending outwardly beyond an edge of same, a ledge carried by the car body beneath the projecting end of said stifl'ening member, the ledge being arranged at a location to permit the free swinging of the end of the said member when the door is opened or closed, and a movable member pivoted upon an outer face of the stifl'ening member and adapted to be moved in a plane substantially parallel to said door into a position behind said ledge lto interlock the stifl'ening member with said edge.

5. A railway car having a door, a member carried by the door adapted to overlie a fixed portionof the car in a manner to hold the door against. endwise movement, said member carrying a` fulcrum adapted to accommodate a removable door-closing lever.

6. A railway car having Vlading discharge opening, a door hinged to the carbody adaptmember secured to the outer face of the door and formed as a Z-bar having one flange lying against the door and extending from the `web of the bar toward the hinge axis of the door and having its other flange lying in a plane parallel with and spaced outwardly from the door, a locking member pivotally mounted u on the outer face of the outwardly spaced ange of the stiffener, and a hookshaped bracket carried by the car side in position to be engaged by the pivoted member to maintain the door in closed position, the outwardly spaced flange of the Z-bar affording a support for the pivoted member.

7. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a vdoor hinged to the car body adapted to close said opening, a stiflening member secured to the outer face of the door, said member being of Z shape and having one of its flanges lying against and secured to the door and its other flange depending from the web thereof and lyin in a plane parallel with and spaced outwar ly from the door, a door locking member pivotally mounted upon the outer face of the outwardly spaced flange of the stiffener, the pivotal axis thereof being upright to the plane of the said flange, a hook-shaped bracket carried by the car side in position to be engaged by the pivoted member to maintain the door in closed position,

the outwardly spaced flange of the Z-bar affording a support for the pivoted member, and a member secured to the outwardly spaced flange of the Z and having a plate portion overlying the pivoted member, the pivot for the said pivoted locking member being supported at one end in the said plate portion of the said member and at its other end in the outwardly spaced flange of the Z.

8. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a door hinged to the car body for closing said opening, a stiffening member secured to the outer face of the door, said member being of Z shape and havin one of its flanges lying against and secure to the door and its other flange depending from the outer edge of the web thereof and lying in a plane parallel with and spaced outwardly from the door, a door locking member pivotally mounted against the outer face of the outwardly spaced flange of the stiffener, and a hookshaped bracket carried by the car side in osition to be engaged by the pivoted mem er to support the door in closed position, the cooperating portions of said pivoted member and bracket being so formed and arran ed that movement of the pivoted member a ter being brought into engagement with the bracket will effect a wedging action to force the door fully closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix-my signature.

BYERS W. KADEL.

DISCLAIMER 1,737,927.-Byers W. Kadel, Baltimore, Md. RAILWAY CAR. Patent dated December 3, 1929. Disclaimer filed September 18, 1934, by the assignee, Wine Railway Appliance Company.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the thing patented which is claimed in said patent in the following words, to wit:

6. A railway ear having a lading discharge opening, a door hinged to the car body adapted to close said opening, a stiffening member secured to the outer face of the door and formed as a Z-bar having one flange lying against the door and extending from the web of the bar toward the hinge axis of the door and having its other Bange lying in a plane parallel with and spaced outwardly from the door, a locking member pivotally mounted upon the outer face of the outwardly spaced flange of the stiffener, and a. hook-shaped bracket carried by the car side in position to be engaged by the pivoted member to maintain the door in closed position, the outwardly spaced flange of the Z-bar affording a support for the pivoted member.

[Ojcial Gazette Uctober 16, 1934.] 

